


Battle of the Body Language

by speechteacher



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-05-16 23:03:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19327906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/speechteacher/pseuds/speechteacher
Summary: After missing the partner team building exercise, Skinner forces Mulder and Scully to participate in an all-day Psychology conference. The speaker is a body language expert, and guess what duo is chosen for a professional evaluation…





	Battle of the Body Language

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Monicafilefan](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Monicafilefan).



> This is for the wonderful Monicanfilefan. Your prompt was a professional challenge for me. I teach non-verbal communication. But researching for this story, I realize I only scratch the surface. I learned so much! I truly fell in love with the topic while writing. So, I hope you like it. I loved writing it. I would have kept going, but I'm 32 minutes past the deadline otherwise, I would have written more. I didn't even get to gestures. This is not beta'd because, well, I'm 32 minutes past the deadline. So forgive my grammar boo boos.

 

**Room 1407 - The Westin Hotel, Cleveland, Ohio**

Darcy is bored. 

She is thirty-three years old and walking around her hotel room with an anxiety bordering on lunacy.  “What is wrong with me?” She asked herself. “Why am I so antsy?”  She willed herself to calm down and sat at the desk to study her lecture notes for tomorrow.   But the discontent overcame her.

Dr. Darcy Jane Fitzwilliam, PhD. Is the nation’s preeminent expert on the psychology of communication specializing on non-verbal behavior.  Author of 12 books including 3 textbooks, she is in continuous demand as guest speaker at conferences and symposiums. She has written countless peer reviewed articles with her research that are published in myriad academic journals.  She has been featured in prestigious magazines like Forbes, Time, Psychology Today, The New Yorker.  But it was the recent article in People Magazine that gave her pause.  They called her “Brilliant Barbie”; listing her striking beauty as her most compelling attribute. Her colleagues were disgusted as the article barely mentioned her remarkable accomplishments.  Darcy pretended she was just as affronted, but inside, she was secretly intrigued at the concept.

Her work has consumed her life for as long as she can remember. She knew she was smart. Her ambitious and successful parents wouldn’t have accepted a child any other way.  She was in pre-K while still wearing pull-ups (at least that’s what her parents said.) Mediocrity was not an option in the Fitzwilliam home, failure was forbidden. Friends were rare and fun, extra-curricular activities were even more rare.  She raced through high school, graduating at sixteen (valedictorian, of course); immediately moving on to university where she graduated _summa cum laude_ at 19, without attending one single college party. With no chance to celebrate, she began graduate school at the prestigious MIT where she received her PhD at just twenty-five years old.   All she has ever known was work.

Her parents expected her to be a scientist and receive innumerable awards and accolades, preferably the Noble Prize.  But her introspective nature shifted from science to psychology when she discovered she was fascinated with how the human mind worked. So, in spite of her parent’s disappointment, she received her degree in Communication Psychology.  She loved her work, it excited her and fulfilled her.  That is, until recently. 

Perhaps her discontent started two weeks ago. It was her thirty-third birthday and was the party of the year.  She sat on the balcony of her New York City apartment with a party hat on, holding a cupcake with one candle … all alone.  The view of Central Park was stunning and the night air incredible, but she had never been so miserable in her life.  No call from her parents.  No surprise party thrown by friends.  No intimate dinner with a lover.  Just a text from her assistant reminding her of the law enforcement conference coming up in Cleveland.

Two weeks later, she’s here in Cleveland.  Once again, alone and unhappy.  For one night, she wishes she weren’t Dr. Darcy Fitzwilliam.  She smirks as she remembers her wish as she blew out her one candle.  _"I wish I could meet a nice man, who looked at me as a person instead of a PhD."_ Tonight she'd settle for just about anything. A nice dinner with a man. It doesn't even have to be dinner, a drinks would do.  She laughed knowing the second someone tries to pick her up or ask her out, she suspects their intentions and runs away.

She looks at herself in the mirror with determination.  “Well, not tonight. Tonight, is the night that Darcy comes alive. That Darcy discovers there’s more to life than work.  I’m going to find me a guy that I don’t know and make him weep with desire. A gorgeous, hot, sexy, beautiful man.”  Darcy was suddenly feeling wild.  For thirty-three years, wild was forbidden. She always did what was expected of her. She tried to be the perfect daughter, perfect student, perfect speaker, perfect writer.  Well, she doesn’t want perfect. She wants to have one night where she experiences only the most basic human instincts. With that, she changed into a silk shirt (one that emphasizes her cleavage) and a short skirt that shows off her legs.  She bought it two weeks ago but has never worn it.  Tonight’s the night.  She enhanced her makeup, took her hair down from its normal bun, picked up her purse and went downstairs.

 

**Woodstock Rock and Spirits Bar**

 

The hotel bar was crowded, and Darcy sat at the bar.  She was suddenly nervous.  This was a bad, bad idea. She’s not a … a … flirt.  She’s a doctor!  She saw an empty booth in the corner and sat down with her drink.  She pulled out her lecture notes and tried to focus. The couple in the booth behind her, however, was having a rather tense conversation.  She normally would not eavesdrop, but the man’s voice haunted her. It was soft and smooth. It was a kind voice. One that could convey empathy and consideration, but also confidence and intelligence. She squashed a desire to sneak a peek at him. Just then, the woman’s voice became agitated.

“You just don’t get it, Mulder, you never do.”

“Why are you so mad at me, Scully? It’s not my fault we’re here.”

“Yes, it is.  You’re the one who refused to go to the Team Building Conference. You had to chase after moth men.  As a result, we are forced to come to this worthless conference, over a weekend, a weekend I was supposed to meet my college roommate in New York.  Instead of a fun weekend with my friend, I’m here with you in Cleveland. Thanks a lot, Mulder.”

“What do you want me to say?  If we had not stayed, how many people would have died? The case …”

Scully interrupted him, “There’s always a case, Mulder.” She sighed. “When is there not a case.  There are cases even when there is no case.”  She looked at him and felt her anger wavering, but she wasn’t through being mad yet.  “I’m going to bed.  See you tomorrow, Mulder.”  She got up to leave.

“Scully, wait.”  But she left. 

Darcy watched an attractive redhead leave the booth.  She waited to see if the man with the haunting voice follow her out, but he didn’t. He stood up by the booth and watched the woman leave, then he plopped back down in the booth.  Darcy only caught a glimpse of his profile and she liked what she saw.  She got up and walk toward the end of the bar so she could get a better look at him.  She waited a few seconds then casually turned toward his booth and caught his profile.  Wow, she thought, he was a looker.  She ordered another drink and pondered her next move.

Mulder sat quietly looking at his hands.  He knew she was upset. He probably should have just acknowledged it and not tried to justify. He couldn’t blame her, really.  For the first time in a while, they had no weekend work planned and he knew she was excited to meet up with her old classmate.  But Skinner instructed them to attend a conference targeted at law enforcement personnel instructing them on using and recognizing body language. It was definitely a form of punishment as they, or more correctly he, always finds reasons to not attend mandated conferences. 

He didn’t like it when Scully was mad at him.  He’ll give her some time and then go up and try to make up with her.  He took a final gulp of his drink and prepared to get up when a stunning young woman walked up to his booth.

“Hi, gorgeous.  I saw you sitting here all alone and thought you might need some company.”

Mulder looked up at one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen.  She tosses her sun streaked light brown hair and laughed. 

“Cat got your tongue?”  She gave him a smile that showcased her perfect, white teeth. 

“Uh … “

She took that as a yes and sat down where Scully had been sitting.  She held her hand out.

“I’m ... Barbie. And you are?”

“I’m Fox.”. He took her hand as she sensuously stroked his palm.

“ _Fox_? OK, I like it.”

He grinned knowing she thought he was making up a name. Much like he suspects Barbie is an alias as well.

“What brings you to Cleveland, _Fox_?”  Darcy emphasizes the “f” in fox which forces Mulder to focus on her lips.

“I’m, uh, here for a conference.  It starts tomorrow.” He couldn’t stop looking at her lips.

“Oh, interesting. Is it the one about body language for law enforcement _Fox_?”.

He is mesmerized by the process she uses to say his name. “y-yes.”

“Are you in law enforcement, _Fox_?” 

“uh, yes.”

She leans forward so her breasts resting on the tabletop. “You’re so shy, _Fox_. Are you scared of me?”

“n-no.  NO. I’m, uh, waiting on my partner.  My partner will be here any minute.”

She rubs her foot against his leg. “Maybe he can sit somewhere else while we talk.”

“uh, she’s a he.  I mean, he’s a, he’s a-a she.”  Mulder moved his leg and scooted over on the bench to retain his composure.  He laughed as he tried again, “My partner is a woman.”

“I’m sorry, are you a couple?” She asked innocently.

“Well, no, but …”

“Great! We have no problem then, do we _Fox_?

Mulder doesn’t know what is wrong with him.  He’s seen beautiful women before; his partner is the most beautiful woman he has ever known. But this has him non-plussed.  He would normally laugh it off, but there’s something about this woman that he can’t put his finger on.  Plus, he has to admit that the flirting is flattering.

“Why are you so nervous? We’re just having a chat _Fox_ ”. She reaches out and took Mulder’s hand. “Now, tell me, what branch of law enforcement are you with, _Fox_?”

“FBI.”

“Isn’t that exciting? Do you carry … handcuffs, _Fox_?”

Mulder laughed as curiosity suddenly took over.

“I do carry handcuffs. And it is a very exciting job.”

“You’re relaxing now, good. You’re a very good-looking man, _Fox_.  But you know that, don’t you?”

Mulder looked bemused for a second, “well, no, not really. I know that you’re a stunningly beautiful woman. And you are very well aware of that.”

Darcy was thrown for a brief moment as she felt her control slipping.

“I know that I’m just a girl hoping the very handsome man across from me might have dinner with me.” Mulder’s humor was heightened as he was really starting to enjoy this.

“I believe I just told you that I’m expecting my partner.”

“Somehow, I don’t think she’s coming.”

“Oh really, Barbie? What makes you say that? -”. Darcy was getting nervous here. The shift of power was changing. 

“Fox, let’s get real here, OK?  I’m attending the conference also. I’m here by myself. I saw your partner leave and say she’d see you tomorrow.  There’s no reason you and I couldn’t spend the evening together. Do you?”

“And after?”

“And after.” She smiled her perfect smile.

Mulder sat back. “You know what I see?  I don’t think your name is Barbie. You hesitated which tells me you selected your name on the spur of the moment. Your movements are definitely flirtatious, but they are overt, blatant. Almost like you felt obligated to be so obvious. You say my name at the end of every sentence. Emphasizing the F in Fox which forces me to look at your luscious lips.  You are ridiculously attractive. But you don’t seem to believe it which is why you think your movements need to be over-sexualized.  How close am I?”

Darcy tried not to look thrown.   She sat back and smiled. “My name is Darcy. I am not good at flirting because I work all the time. But I was lonely and bored and thought I’d do what I’ve seen women do on television and try to pick up a guy.”

Mulder nodded his head. “Now, this is a woman I’d like to talk to.”

 

**Room 1019  - The Westin Hotel, Cleveland Ohio**

Upstairs, Scully is battling tears. She doesn’t like fighting with Mulder. She’s not really mad at him, she’s mad at life. She’s mad at them. Just when she thinks they are getting closer; something happens to pull them apart.  She would have liked to have seen her old college roommate.  She needed someone to talk to.  Her feelings for Mulder are a bit overwhelming sometimes. She's not sure how to move it along. She's not even sure she wants to move it along.  She's not even sure what "it" is.  She had just needed some distance, some perspective.  Instead, they are sent to Cleveland to sit in another boring conference.

She plays their argument in her head again and feels terrible.  She really did treat Mulder badly. She has to apologize. She jumps off the bed, combs her hair and refreshes her make-up.  She going to find her partner.  

As Scully approaches the booth, she hears vivacious laughter coming from the woman sitting where she had been sitting. Obviously, another couple was occupying their booth. She turned around and suddenly heard Mulder’s laughter. She walks to the booth and sees the woman with her hand on top of Mulders.  Mulder looked up and guilt was suddenly written all over his face. He jumps up so quick he hit his knee on the tabletop and his guilt changes to pain in seconds. 

“Scully!  I didn’t, I thought, uh, “He looked quickly at Darcy who appeared frozen.

“I’m sorry to disturb you, Mulder, I’ll see you tomorrow.” And Scully walked quickly out of the bar.

Mulder looked at Darcy, “Sorry, I gotta go.”  And with that, he was gone.

 

 

**Main Lobby Elevator – The Westin Hotel, Cleveland, Ohio**

Mulder catches up with her at the elevator. 

“Scully, nothing was going on. I don't even know that woman.”

“I don’t care, Mulder.  Goodnight.”

She punches the up button with furious fingers.

“Wait a minute, you get mad at me, leave, someone I don’t know comes up to talk to me, you come back in, get mad again and then leave.  What is going on, Scully?”

“Nothing, Mulder.  I’m going to bed.  I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The elevator doors open but Mulder keeps her from going in.

“Same song, second verse, Agent Scully.

“I came down to apologize for my behavior and I find you…”

“you find me doing nothing but wasting time until you calmed down. Then I was going to come up to you and apologize for everything I’ve ever done.”  He looked defeated,

“Scully, I don't know why you're so upset with me tonight.  I'm sure it's my fault, so let me say I’m sorry.”

The elevator doors shut again.

"I'm sorry for chasing moth men. I'm sorry for Skinner making us come to Cleveland and you missing seeing your friend.  I'm sorry for talking to Barbie while you were upstairs.  I'm sorry for ... "

"Barbie?  Her name is Barbie?"

"No.  Actually it's Darcy. She told me it was Barbie.  Long Story.  Where was I?  Oh, I'm sorry I was talking to Barbie..."

“Mulder, I’m hungry.  Do you think there’s decent pizza in Cleveland?”

He gave her the grin.  The grin that melts her heart and sings in her soul.  “You know the way to my heart, Scully.”

 

**Outside the Buckeye Ballroom – The Westin Hotel, Cleveland, Ohio**

The following morning, they met in the lobby where a decent continental breakfast buffet was laid out.  Mulder filled his plate to maximum space while Scully got a bagel with real cream cheese. They got their coffee and walked down to the first row. Because Scully _always_ sits on the front row. 

“I can’t believe we have to sit through a whole day of this crap, Scully. I know, let’s ditch this and go tour the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”

“Tempting, Mulder, definitely tempting, but if we don’t get this certificate, Skinner will have our head.”

“But it’s the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!  Elvis, James Brown - the Godfather of Soul, Buddy Holly” He suddenly grinned, “Scully, I know you like Marvin Gaye, “What’s going on… in your sexual healing.”  

Scully started laughing as his very bad Marvin Gaye imitation.  “Oh, Mulder, it’s tempting. But, BUT, if you’re good and you stick this out, maybe we can stay an extra day and visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tomorrow.”

Mulder’s face couldn’t show any more joy.  “Agent Scully, you make me wanna ‘sit on the dock of the bay, wastin’ time, i..i..ime.”

“Mulder, your Otis Redding is worse than your Marvin Gaye. Now hush.  It’s about to start.”

“Ladies and Gentlemen, please help me welcome your speaker, Dr. D.J. Fitzwilliam.”

The audience applauded as a young woman in her early 30’s walked to the podium.  Mulder’s attention was on his blueberry muffin until he heard her voice.

“Thank you, thank you.  Welcome to Understanding the Psychology of Body Language. I am Dr. Darcy Fitzwilliam.  For all of you wondering whether my parents were fans of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, the answer is … Yes... They were. So much so, my middle name is Jane.”

Thre was a smattering of laughter that Darcy joined in with.  She scanned the front row and froze on the stunned eyes of her evening companion last night and his partner. Both last seen running out of the bar.

“I’m not going to bore you with my qualifications, let’s just say I am passionate about Body Language.”  She looked at the beautiful red head sitting next to Fox and noted her body language was screaming at her.  Darcy gulped.

“Whether you’re interrogating suspects, in a meeting, out with friends or meeting new ones, the body language of the people around you speak volumes. It has been suggested that body language constitutes up to 70% of what we communicate, so learning to read the nonverbal cues people send is a valuable skill.”

 She paused for a moment, looked at Mulder, then at Scully and suddenly smiled. Darcy may not have gotten the guy, but that didn't mean she couldn't have some fun.  

“We’re going to start with the eyes.  The eyes are the window to the soul.  For this, I’m going to need an assistant.  Let’s see …”   She walked back and forth across the stage and Mulder had a weird premonition.  She looked straight at Mulder and pointed.  “This handsome gentlemen on the front row would make a terrific assistant.  Could you come up here please?”

Mulder looked at  Scully and reluctantly stood up and walked on stage.  She met him at the top of the steps and took his hand to lead him to the center of the stage.

“Thank you for helping us out here. And your name is?”

“Fox.”

“Fox?”

He pointed to the paper name tag he had stuck to his slacks. She laughed.

“Well, _Fox_ ,” she said in exactly the same way she said it last night, “we are going to talk about eyes.  When communicating with someone, it is important to note whether they make direct eye contact, or they look away.  Like, I’m noticing that you are not looking at me, but looking at this lovely young woman on the front row.”  She looks at audience, “shall we invite her up here also?” A few voices in the audience responds, and an usher suddenly shows up to lead Scully to the stage.  She stands next to Mulder as Darcy approaches her. “And your name is?”

“Dana”

“Dana. OK... Dana, do you know Fox?”

“We work together.”

“How long have you worked together?”

“Five years.”

“Would you say you are friends?”

“As friendly as co-workers can be.”

That made Mulder look at her.

“Fox, how would you answer the question, are you friends?”

“I would say she’s my best friend.”

Darcy smiled. This really was going to be fun.

“Audience, we have a conflict here, wouldn’t you say?” Again, a few voices respond although Darcy can't tell what they are saying.

“It’s a conflict of words.  Let’s analyze this.  I’m going to ask you a few questions, OK?”

The agents nodded.

“Dana, what was the initial thought that went through your head when you first met Fox?”

“Well, I thought he was younger than I expected.”

“Very good … excuse me, I need to take care of something.”  Darcy then walked off stage.

Mulder and Scully just stood on stage looking very uncomfortable. The audience simply looked confused. Darcy came back to the stage and a screen descended from the ceiling. 

“I’m back.  Jason, can you show us a close-up of Dana while she was answering that question?”

Within a few seconds, Scully’s face was shown on the massive screen.  “Jason, will you turn the volume up?”

_“Dana, what was the initial thought that went through your head when you first met Fox?”_

_“Well, I thought he was younger than I expected.”_

“Jason, focus on Dana's eyes.  Audience, I’m going to show you this again, but I want you to notice two things, first, her pupils dilate and her blinking increases.  Jason, show it again.”

_“Dana, what was the initial thought that went through your head when you first met Fox?”_

_“Well, I thought he was younger than I expected.”_

The audience clearly reacted when her pupils became dilated and her blinking increased.

Darcy explained, “What does this mean? Pupils dilate when cognitive effort increases. It could be that she was thinking hard.  It could be she was remembering. But pupils dilate also when the person is focused on someone or something they like. Regarding the rapid blinking, the rate increases when the person is stressed. It can also indicate lying. So, would someone like to take a guess on whether Dana was telling the truth in her statement?  Uh …. woman with the blue shirt. What’s your Name then your comment?”

“Julie. I don’t think she is lying in what she said, but I don’t think it was the first thing she thought. I think she thought something more personal about him, but she didn’t want to say it.”

“Interesting.  Dana is Julie correct?”

Scully looked irritated.  “No. It’s ridiculous.”

The audience reacted verbally to this. Scully was confused at their reaction. 

“Dana, they’re reacting because you were blinking rapidly when you said that. Jason, expand it to show her entire face and play the last exchange.”

_“Interesting.  Dana is Julie correct?”  
Scully looked irritated.    “No. It’s ridiculous.”_

The audience reacted once again. 

“Audience notice how Dana licked her lips.  Put together these three things, rapid blinking, dilating pupils and touching either the mouth or the eyes, this typically indicates lying.”  The audience started clapping and Darcy rewarded them with a brilliant smile. 

“Let’s give Dana a break for a few minutes.  Jason, can you show what Fox’s face was doing while we were talking to Dana?”

Suddenly a severe closeup of Mulder’s face is on screen.  The conversation is heard in the background as the audience focuses on his face.

“Audience, what do you see?”

Assorted people start yelling out, “he’s looking down when she answers the question.”; “his pupils dilated.”; “He was blinking fast too and biting his lower lip.” ; “He glanced over at her four times.” ; “No, he did it five times.”

“Excellent job, audience.  We know about the dilating pupils, blinking and messing with the mouth, but looking down indicates nervousness. And glancing repeatedly at something indicates a desire for that thing.  Example, Dana is glancing at her chair on the front row.  I suspect she is desiring to be in that chair right now.”

The audience laughed.

“Fox, you are laughing, do you disagree?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do.  I confess the looking down indicated nervousness because this entire exercise is making me very nervous.  Studies have shown that pupils can dilate at the mere thought of light and since the lights are dimmed in the audience, my brain may be craving more light which would make my pupils dilate. I have no answer for the blinking rapidly other than there is a breeze up here, possibly to keep you cool under the hot lights and the breeze could cause rapid blinking and I bite my lip every time I am nervous which we have already discussed.  As far as glancing at Dana, she was the subject of your focus, not looking at her would appear as though I was uninterested which would be rude. Everybody in the audience was looking at her.”

Darcy gave him a dazzling smile. 

“Audience?  What do you think?

They applauded enthusiastically.

“Fox, let me ask you something. What was the first thing you thought when you first met Dana?”

Mulder paused, looked up then at Scully.  “I thought she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.”

The audience erupted in applause.  Darcy grinned.  “Audience, studies show, that when the person looks up and to the right, it indicates a lie has been told, if it’s up and to the left, as Fox’s was … it indicates it’s the truth.  Jason, you can cut the screen off now and will someone backstage bring three chairs up here on stage?  You two, please have a seat because you are very interesting subjects.  Aren’t they audience?”

The audience clapped loudly.

“Would you like to see more of Dana and Fox?”

The overwhelming response from the audience was. Yes.

“Excellent. The eyes can say so much.  Legally, you cannot use dilating pupils, blinking or touching your mouth as a lie detector.  But when used it in conjunction with verbal language, situations, and other facts present during your interrogations, it can give you an insight into the veracity of your suspect.”

Darcy pauses while she takes a sip of water to continue her very enjoyable plan.  For the next few minutes, she discussed the origins of non-verbal communication research.  After this brief respite, she turns back to Mulder and Scully and the screen was turned back on.

“Fox, you and Dana are co-workers.  Have you ever kissed?”

Mulder looks shocked.  “No!”

“It’s a simple question, Fox.  Let’s ask Dana.”

Scully just looked at her.

“Oh my, look at this facial expression!  This is an ideal time to move on from eyes to the face.  In the 1960s, noted psychologist, Paul Ekman, pioneered research into emotion recognition.  He showed research subjects photos of faces showing different expressions.  The subjects had to identify what they saw.  The conclusion of their research indicated there are six universal expressions.  Happy, disgust, sadness, anger, surprise and fear.  Jason … can you cue up my last exchange with our volunteers??

_Fox, you and Dana are co-workers.  Have you ever kissed?”_

_Mulder looks shocked.  “No!”_

“Audience, what’s the emotion?”

The audience yelled out, “surprise?

“Very good!  Universal agreement.  Jason, can you show us Dana?”

_“It’s a simple question, Fox.  Let’s ask Dana.”_

The audience burst into laughter as the screen was filled with Dana’s face. The called out “Anger.”

“Excellent, audience.  Again.  Universal agreement.  Now, just because a facial expression is universally recognized, doesn’t mean that the emotion is understood.  Let’s examine Fox.  His verbal response was No!  But this is accompanied by raised eyebrows, wide eyes and dropped jaw, classic surprise cues. The response of NO is definitive, but the surprise cues are valent which means they can range across a spectrum.  Wouldn’t you assume if the answer was truly NO, the emotion would be more anger or irritation?  Audience?”

The audience agreed verbally.

“But hearing the word NO with surprise cues is quite interesting.  Show it again, Jason, but keep it going for a few seconds longer…. There, you see the eyebrows, wide eyes and jaw, but keep watching … there… he immediately starts biting his bottom lip.  That is a sign that the person is experiencing feelings of worry, fear or insecurity.”

The audience reacted with chatter. 

"Do you think he's lying audience?  Uh, second row, gray turtleneck, what’s your name and what do you think?”

“I’m Adam and I think the answer is not no, or the answer IS no but he doesn't want it to be.”

“Interesting.   Anybody else?   Fourth row, gray shirt.  Name and comment.”

“Ben.  I agree the answer is probably no, but his emotions, not just in this case but in the precious encounters show that his feelings for Dana are not consistent with what he is saying.”

“That is terrific Ben, because you cannot take a single non-verbal cue and run with it on its own.  It is the totality that can give you a complete answer.  Now, we are going to take a quick look again at Dana and her expression of anger.  Anger can range from mild irritation to rage.  This emotion is accompanied by physical symptoms as well and facial cues; increased heart rate and blood pressure as well as adrenaline. The behavior of fight or flight is enhanced.  The facial cues include lowering their brows, pursing or tightening their lips, and enlarged eyes.Jason, will you cue up that exchange?" _  
_

_“It’s a simple question, Fox.  Let’s ask Dana.”_

A closeup of Scully’s face showed up on screen which made the audience laugh.

“There it is, audience, furrowing of the brow, pursing lips and big eyes.  The tightening of the lips might also be an indicator of distaste, disapproval, or distrust. If I were to run with these cues only, I would say that the thought of kissing Fox was something … yucky.  Audience, do you agree?  Fifth row, pink polka dots.  Name and comment."

"Tammy, based on that face, I can't see Fox wanting to have anything to do with her!" The audience laughed as did Darcy.

"You could be right, but let’s examine this further.  You see, during the few minutes I was talking to you about the origins of non-verbal communication research, we had a camera focused on Fox and Dana while they were sitting here, let’s watch a few seconds.  Fox leans over and says something to Dana. See how she covers her mouth?  This is when someone wants to hide an emotional reaction. But we know what her reaction is because the muscles in her face cue the cheeks and eyes to accompany the mouth in a smile. We don’t see her mouth, but the cheeks and eyes cannot deceive.  The smile indicates he said something that was funny or made her happy.  Fox, on the other hand is not attempting to hide his smile.  The task for you is to decide whether, according to the mouth, is it genuine, fake or cynicism.  Audience?  Yes, third row, blue shirt. What’s your name and comment.”

“Andy.  The mouth alone doesn’t tell the story, I couldn’t see his pupils, but he was blinking rapidly and looking directly into her eyes. Based on his reaction, the blinking and the gazing, I would say his smile was genuine.”

“Excellent, Andy.  While we’re on the face, Jason let’s freeze on Fox’s profile.  Studies show that individuals who have more prominent noses are more likely to be perceived as intelligent.”   Scully, knowing how Mulder hates his nose covers her mouth, once again, to hide her chuckle.  Mulder, however, had a definite look of disgust on his face which the audience laughed at when it popped up on screen.

“Oh, studies show that people with smiling, joyful expressions are also judged as being more intelligent than those with angry expressions.  So … it’s a 50/50 with Fox, yes?”

The audience laughed.

“Now, let’s watch a bit longer.  You will see they are looking at me, but not paying attention, how can you tell?  Audience?   Uh … over here on the side, gentleman with the gorgeous purple tie.  Name and comment.”

“thanks! I’m Jeremy and it appears they are listening to you, but they aren’t. She keeps darting her eyes at him and he does the same. It’s not blatant, it’s not obvious and it’s very quick, but if you slow it down, you can see they are very aware of each other.”

“Fabulous, Jeremy.  So, knowing what we know, from what we’ve seen, do you believe that the facial expression we are seeing is one of disgust at the thought of kissing Fox?”

Jeremy continued “Absolutely not, Dr. F.  It’s definitely something else entirely.”

Darcy smiled at Jeremy with the beautiful purple tie for a moment too long.  She then turned around to Mulder and Scully.

 “I want to thank Fox and Dana for their help in this morning’s session.  I hope you will be as accommodating in our afternoon session where I will definitely need more assistance.  In the meantime, you two can return to your seats.” Mulder and Scully both walked back to the audience gratefully.

“This next part we will delve in depth into the face and how it can be used to detect lies.”

 

 

**Meeting Room #2 – The Westin Hotel, Cleveland, Ohio, 12:00 p.m.**

Buffet Lunch was provided for all participants of the conference. The agents filled their plates and avoided the snickering from the other participants. 

“I hate this, Mulder.  We’re a laughing stock!”

“Ignore them. Just get your food and we’ll find us a seat far from everybody else.”

“Hi guys!” Darcy greeted them exuberantly.

“Go away.” Mulder instructed.

“Come on, Fox,” she laughed, “You have to admit that was fun.”

“I do not have to admit it, I won’t admit it and will never admit it.  Goodbye, Barbie.”

He walked away with his plate searching for a remote table.

“Dana, you surely had some fun?” Darcy inquired.

“Dr. Fitzwilliam, we are here at the orders of our superior. If it were not for the certification we need for our file, I would have left immediately after you manipulated us onto that stage.  I do not know what your game is, but I’m not playing anymore. “  Scully then took her plate and joined Mulder at a small table against the wall.

Darcy grinned brightly.   “We’ll see, Dana.  We shall see.”   Darcy got her plate and found an empty chair at a table in the middle of the room.

 

* * *

 

“I was so scared she was going to come over here.” Scully said.

“me too.”  Mulder replied before shoving some kind of chicken casserole in his mouth.

Scully stared at Mulder.  He finally looked up.

“What?”

“What happened last night?”

“You and I got some pizza and …”

“AFTER I went to my room.” Scully demanded.

“I went to my room.”

“Did you?”

Mulder put his fork down. “What is this?”

“Why is she doing this?”

“I don’t know.” Mulder said but Scully sat back in shock.

“Oh my God.  You looked up and to the right.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Yes, you did.  You DO know why she’s doing this. 

Mulder sighed.  “I hate this conference.  OK.  Maybe.”

Scully pursed her lips, raised her brows and looked at him direct in the eyes.

"You slept with her?"

"In the booth?"

"Mulder - What happened in that booth? Why is she doing this?"

“OK, Scully. Last night, after you left … mad, I might add, I decided to wait for you to calm down and then I’d apologize, again.  But she walks up to me.  She doesn’t look like she does today, her hair was all … you know, and her skirt was … here.  And her makeup was like …. this.  And she was flirting outrageously with me.  Saying Fox with the emphasis on the F and I kept looking at her lips and I know I shouldn’t say this to you, but she was really gorgeous and the last beautiful woman I was with was mad at me, I was a little, you know and, actually it might have been more of an intellectual thing because sub-consciously, perhaps I knew who she was and thought that …”

“Mulder, let me see if I can interpret what you are saying.  You were upset because I was angry when I left. You were feeling low and this beautiful woman flirts with you and you were receptive but overwhelmed.  Am I right?”

“well, maybe, at first.  But, then, there was something off about the whole thing. She was too obvious. Too much. So, I kind of … called her on it and she admitted that she has been pretending because she’s alone, lonely, works all the time.  After she quit pretending, she actually was kind of an interesting woman. She described how her life is wrapped up in her work and she thought picking up a guy would make her feel better, but it wasn’t her.  We then just talked about how easy it is to get wrapped up in work to the detriment of a personal life.”

“So, why is she doing this to us?”

“I think she’s having a bit of fun.”

“Maybe we should have a bit of fun with her.” Scully suggested.

“You do keep surprising me, Agent Scully.”

 

 

**Meeting Room #1 – The Westin Hotel, Cleveland Ohio. 1:00 p.m.**

“Welcome back from lunch.  We’re now going to focus on legs.” She laughed when there were some cat calls from the back of the room. “No audience, not mine. I guess I should have said ARMS and legs.  But we’re starting with legs.  Now, why study legs?  Because they’re honest.  Very honest.  Legs are the farthest limbs from the brain. We don’t normally focus on our own legs, nor do we pay much attention to other legs. Big mistake.  Jason let’s show our favorite assistants on the screen.  Everybody say hi to Fox and Dana.”

The audience repeated “Hi, Fox and Dana.”  Dana closed her eyes and shook her head.

“Let’s take a look at how Fox is standing.  Forget the face, eyes and mouth, let’s look at his legs.  Dana! Can you describe how Fox is standing?”

Dana stared at her. Not really wanting to “play”.  Not wanting to answer. But propriety and norms are important to Scully, so she sighs loudly and answers.

“With his legs apart.”

“Oh my. Something tells me, Dana is knowledgeable about this stance.”

Audience groaned and laughed, and Scully looked mortified.

“Audience! Where is your mind.? I meant because they are partners.  When someone stands with their legs apart, it is an aggressive and dominant position.  Could it be that in their partnership, he’s the dominant one? Let's ask Dana. Does Fox dominate you."

Scully looked at Darcy and smiled, "Every day."

The audience went crazy and Darcy laughed.

"Very nice, Dana.  Now, before we see Dana’s standing stance, let’s see what the options are.  One.  If she’s standing with both feet close to each other, that is a signal of submission. Do you see Dana as submissive?  Hmm?  Of course, it could also mean that the person is timid and doesn’t want to be noticed. Do anybody think Dana is timid? "

The audience chattered among themselves and Darcy laughed.

"In spite of some comments I heard from the audience, somehow, I don’t think she's either submissive or timid.   Two.  If her legs are apart like his, it is a sign of attraction with both parties. Interesting, huh?  Three.  If the person is standing with the weight on one foot while the other points to the side, this is a more relaxed position. It also indicates she has strong opinions and desires. Four.   If the legs are crossed  it means the person is reserved and suspicious and not willing to go further or change their mind. So, Let’s take a vote.  Indicate with your applause. Which one of these stances will Dana have?  Legs together? …. What?  Nobody?  How about her legs are apart like his?”

Loud applause.

“Wow.  How about legs crossed? … maybe 25% of you.  And finally, weight on one leg with other one pointing?   … also, about 25% of you.  So, the majority think that her legs will be apart just like his.  Jason?”

The audience reacted with surprise as it clearly shows Scully with her weight on one leg and the other pointing.

“I can see you guys were surprised.  But we’re going to continue to analyze the leg issue.  Remember, you cannot take one single aspect of body language and run with it.  It’s the totality of the body language.  Because, we didn’t even begin to discuss their feet.”

The audience laughed.

“Who knew that these silly little things at the bottom of our legs could speak volumes, right?  The feet can hint to us about the desires of a person and his, or her, center of attention. If the feet are pointing away from you, that person is not interested.  Let’s look at Fox.  His legs are apart, his left foot is pointed at Dana.  His right foot is sort of a little to the right of center.”

Hands in the audience flew up.  “OK, first row, woman in the red. Name and comment”

“Helen, it’s obvious his focus is on Dana.  That’s where his attention is.”

“Very good, Helen.”

“uh … Fox?"

“Did it ever occur to anybody that standing with the legs apart with the toes pointing slightly outward simply indicates balance; steadiness.”

“That is an excellent point, Fox.  Yes, it could simply be that.  Remember, totality.  Let’s take a look at Dana’s foot.”

The audience chatter practically exploded.

“You already noticed it, didn't you?  Weight is on her left foot and the right foot is pointed, where?”

The audience screamed out “to the right”, “toward Fox”.

“That’s right.  Let’s give the two of them a break and go over moving feet, like happy feet, tapping feet, and so on.”

 

**Meeting Room #1 – The Westin Hotel, Cleveland Ohio. 2:00 p.m.**

“Our next section, we will go over sitting positions.  I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve missed Dana and Fox, haven’t you?”

The audience agreed with her loudly.

“Jason?  Will you cue up the sitting images?  There we go.  Fox is sitting with his knees wide apart.” The audience laughed, and a few comments were loud enough to hear.

“Now, like feet, we have the knee point.  With his knees wide apart, it’s hard to tell because one knee is pointed toward Dana and the other knee is pointed ... nowhere.”

That drew a huge laugh (except from Dana).

“This is sometimes called the crotch display.  It signals virility and availability. It usually signals the person is dominant, strong and even a little smug - this position takes a lot of space and exposes their groin for the whole world to see. I'm sure you've already noticed that Fox is leaning slightly forward, his elbows on his knees with his hands dangling between his knees.  Let’s see some more images, Jason. … Ah, there we go.  Fox is leaning toward Dana.  This is like the foot point or the knee point, he's doing the leaning point.  Next?  There’s Fox with his knees apart again, but his hands are clasp at his groin area.  Just like spreading the legs yells 'Look at me! I'm here! I'm fertile and powerful', covering the same area sends the opposite message 'I'm unsure, tiny and timid, please don't hurt me.'

The audience roared with laughter.

“I’m sure that isn’t the message Fox is sending.”

Dana raises her hand and stands up.

“Dr. Fitzwilliam, I wonder if we could take a break.  A short break.  I think it’s important that we take a break.”

“Uh, OK.  Ladies and gentlemen, it is about time for a break, so return in 15 minutes.”

Scully was walking toward the steps leading to the stage, Darcy met her at the bottom and Fox joined almost immediately.   

“Dr. Fitzwilliam, I’ve had just about enough.  We have sat here and been laughed at and pointed at and speculated about, ad nauseum. That last insinuation is disparaging of the finest man I have ever known. He doesn’t deserve to be the brunt of your joke. We stayed because we need the course completion for our files, but I’m willing to take the retribution.  Fox and I are leaving.”

And with that, she grabbed Mulder's hand and they walked out. 

“Scully, It’s not that big a deal…”

“It's a big deal to me.  Nobody laughs at my Mulder like that.”

Mulder dropped her hand and stopped dead in his tracks and a big grin broke out.  Scully turned around,

“You coming?

“Absolutely!”

That night, they feasted on an expensive dinner, at the government’s expense, of course.  Scully's anger had not abated, so Mulder let her rant and rave and fling her fury all over.  He didn't care.  He was her Mulder and that was all that mattered.

The next day, Scully was over her anger at Darcy and they visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Mulder was in heaven and Scully was right there with him. Watching his boyish enthusiasm brought joy to her heart.

They flew back to DC and reminisced about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She loved seeing Mulder so happy and he just loved seeing Scully. They did not speak of Dr. Darcy Jane Fitzwilliam but did wonder how they were going to get the lack of certification past Skinner. 

Monday came and life was back to normal.  That is until about 4:00 p.m. when Arlene, Skinner’s secretary, summoned the pair to his office.  This was it. The reprimand for not finishing the conference. They waited nervously in his waiting room until Arlene told them to go in.

They stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Darcy Fitzwilliam standing next to Skinner’s desk.

“Agents, please sit down." Skinner said.  "Dr. Fitzwilliam has been telling me what a great help you were during the body language conference. That you volunteered to be analyzed and how much of a help to her you were.  She said you really got involved and she wanted to tell you thank you and bring your certificates of completion herself. ”

“That’s not really necessary.” Scully remarked.

“Oh, I think it is." Darcy interjected. "Mr. Skinner, could I have a few moments alone with your agents?” 

“Of course.”

Once he was gone, she turned to the two agents, one who was biting his bottom lip, sitting with his knees apart, legs shaking, and hands clasped at his groin area.  His partner was looking down with her knees also slightly apart, but her brow was furrowed, and her eyes were blinking rapidly.

“I came here to apologize for making you feel uncomfortable.  The truth is, most of the time, my lectures at these conferences are dry and dull.  Full of facts and figures that most likely won’t be remembered. I decided to have a little fun with the two of you. I figured out that there was deep feeling there that you both are hiding, and I was determined to make you admit it.  I was enjoying the interplay and I saw that the audience was too.  I never get reactions like that from my audiences.  Never.  The more they laughed, the more they joined in, the more daring I got.  It was totally unprofessional of me and I’m sorry.”

Mulder smiled, “Well, you really did a great job of analyzing us.  You were right for the most part, about me, that is.”

“Me too.” admitted Scully.

Mulder sits forward, “If you’ll allow me to tell you something, and mind you, I’m not body language expert.  But you are obviously a brilliant and beautiful woman, you don't have to be outrageous to make yourself stand out."

Scully nodded her head, “I saw someone with a terrific personality.  Someone funny, someone people enjoyed listening to.”

Mulder continued, “If you hadn’t targeted us and it had been someone anonymous, I would have thorough enjoyed joining in."

Scully looked at him in surprise. "C'mon Scully, you know you would have too. I think you discovered something in Cleveland that you should run with. And, uh, maybe let your hair down.”

Scully looked at him again and he amended his last statement. "Figuratively, I mean.  Figuratively not literally.  Unless you want to. Then, you can let it down literally... I'm in trouble here."

Both Scully and Darcy laughed.

Scully looked at Mulder.  “You know, it’s almost 4:00, why don’t we get out of here and maybe Darcy can fill us in on the body language of gestures.  We missed that."

Darcy looked at them, “Really?  I’d love that.”

 

**EPILOGUE**

 

The three of them left Skinner’s office chatting like they were old friends.  They walked to a bar not far away as they got to know each other while they analyzed the body language of various people in the bar. It became obvious to both Mulder and Scully that for all of her brilliance and beauty, Darcy was severely lacking in confidence. They talked for more than two hours.

“Uh … Dr. Fitzwilliam?”

“Yes?  Wait, you’re Jeremy, the gentleman with the gorgeous purple tie.”

“Yes! What are you doing here?”

He suddenly noticed Mulder and Scully.

“Oh!  I hope your emergency worked out OK.”

Darcy laughed and looked at the agents, “Yes, I told them you were forced to leave because your office informed you about an emergency.”

Mulder answered, “Yes, it’s fine. We saved the day. You work here in D.C.?”

“Yes, I’m with the police force.  I’m applying to be a detective and it was recommended I attend Dr. Fitzwilliam’s conference.”

Scully looked at his left hand then asked, “Jeremy, would you and your wife like to join us?”

He smiled, “I’m not married … or anything.”

Mulder and Scully glanced at each other, both reading the obvious body language between Jeremy and Darcy. 

Scully looked at her watch, “Darcy, we intended to show you some of the highlights of D.C. but I’m afraid I completely forgot about that conference call we have with the, uh, detective from Denver.  Jeremy, do you think you’d like to show Darcy around a bit?"

He grinned broadly, “I’d love to.”

 

* * *

 

The agents realized as they left that neither Jeremy nor Darcy paying them much attention to them leaving.  They walked briskly toward the Hoover parking garage when Mulder patted Scully on the back.

“You really are a hopeless romantic, Miss Scully.”

“I’m an observant romantic, Mr. Mulder.”

He thought about this for a moment and took her hand.

“Do you think you’d like to have dinner with me while we discuss what to do with the detective from Denver, Miss Scully?”

“I think with the right amount of non-verbal persuasion, I might be inclined to dine with you, Mr. Mulder.”

“Did I ever tell you that you are hot when you sit with your knees together pointing at me?”

Scully looked at him and smiled brightly.

“Maybe after dinner, we can discuss some of the other sitting stances.”

Mulder grinned broadly and put his arm around her shoulders.

"It's a date, Miss Scully."

 

The End


End file.
